We took a flight from Memphis to Las Vegas (with a six hour layover in Houston – thanks, United Airlines), where we spent a day before heading to Death Valley National Park. Rather than walk through casinos for hours, we headed to two nearby popular parks.
After an early morning drive through Red Rock Canyon (very nice), we hiked several miles in Valley of Fire State Park (spectacular), visited the Fremont Street Experience (ugh), cruised down the strip, and took pictures of the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign (dodging a line of tourists).
To the west of Las Vegas is Red Rock Canyon, a 13 mile, one way, scenic drive with numerous parking lots, viewpoints, and hiking trails. It is very popular with hikers, rock climbers, and bikers. A prepaid, timed reservation is usually required, limiting the number of vehicles. We had a 9:00 AM entry pass, and the area was already filling up with outdoor enthusiasts.
Realizing that there is not enough time to fully explore both Red Rock Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park in one day, we chose not to hike or explore much in Red Rock Canyon. We skipped the visitor’s center, drove the loop, and stopped maybe five or six times.
Valley of Fire State Park is northeast of Las Vegas, about an hour’s drive from Red Rock Canyon. Numerous hiking trails run through the sandstone rock formations. The open views of the rock and mountains are spectacular. We hiked the White Dome Loop Trail, Seven Wonders Trail, and the Fire Wave Trail in little over two hours (about 3.25 miles in total). White Dome Loop Trail and Fire Wave Trail are very popular with visitors. The Seven Wonders Trail connects those two trails, and offers much more solitude. I could have easily spent all day hiking in the park.
Signs in Valley of Fire clearly state that (1) the park closes at sunset and (2) anyone in the park after sunset is subject to being fined for trespassing. They’re not kidding. We finished our hike at about 4:15 PM, not long before sunset. Five minutes later, a ranger pulled into the parking lot and broadcast a message over a loudspeaker: you have 10 minutes to get to your car and start driving out of the park.
Based on the number of visitors and cars in the area at sunset, either the rangers issued a lot of fines or were very, very lenient in allowing folks time to leave.
It was dark when we got to downtown Las Vegas. We stopped at the Fremont Street Experience, which is where the original casinos were located. A few are still there, such as Binion’s and Golden Nugget. Several blocks are now pedestrian only. The street is covered by a massive arched screen that plays light shows and videos. Loudspeakers blare music.
Panhandlers and other street performers soliciting money are limited to certain designated areas (literally circles painted on the street). They are easy to avoid if you weave down the street instead of walking straight. Zip lines run overhead the length of the street. Stephanie thought about it, but quickly decided that the ride was not worth the cost, whatever it was (either $29 or $49). Of course there are a few places to get beer and food, or tattoos.
Overall the Fremont Street Experience is several blocks that reeks of weed, urine, beer, and sweat (in that order). The crowd seemed distinctly middle aged redneck. We stayed long enough to find a $5 bill in the street, which Stephanie ran up to $16 in a slot machine (paid for parking!) at Binion’s.
After an hour or so we were ready to go. Las Vegas clearly tried to resurrect this area, but overall it was not much of an experience. I’ll take Beale Street in Memphis or Bourbon Street in New Orleans instead.
The drive down the strip was notable for seeing the casinos lit up at night. We arrived at the famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign to find a line of 10-20 tourists waiting in line for their picture to be taken. A local was there taking photos of tourists with their cell phones for tips. We walked past the line, up near the local, and took our own photos of the sign.
Bright and early the next morning we were finally on our way to Death Valley …
Garrett and Stephanie
The Travel Blog page contains collected links to all of our travel posts. Check it out if you have not already done so.
Want to subscribe (or unsubscribe) for email notification of new blog posts? It is only two to three emails a month. Send your name and email address to slowtravelchronicles@gmail.com, and note subscribe (or unsubscribe) in the subject line. All email address will be kept confidential and not sold to any third-party. You won’t get any marketing junk or sales pitches from us.
These pictures are awesome.
Great pics!